Bernardin V. Scheider, O.F.M. - January 8, 2015

Please pray for the repose of Bernardin V. Schneider, O.F.M. who passed on at the age of 97 on January 8, 2015. His contribution to biblical studies has been widely noted, particularly in Japan where he lived most of his life.

Born in Louisville, KY on October 26, 1917, Bernie was ordained in 1944. A Franciscan Friar of St. John the Baptist Province, he studied theology at the Pontificia Universitas Antonianum from 146-49, receiving an S.T.L. in 1947 and an S.T.D. in 1951. He studied Scripture at Pontificio Istituto Biblico (1949-50) and Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Jerusalem (1950-51), resulting in an S.S.L.

In 1952 Bernie was assigned to Japan where he remained until his death. While in Japan, he taught Scripture at Seibo no Kishi Seminary in Tokyo. As a professor at St. Anthony Seminary in Tokyo (1954-96), he taught moral theology, Scripture, and biblical languages. From 1956-2002, Bernie served as Director of Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Tokyo, 1956-2002. From 1969-87, Bernie was co-chair of the editorial commission that produced of the Japanese Interconfessional translation of the Bible.

The Seventh North American Syriac Symposium will be held at The Catholic University of America on June 21-24, 2015. Held every four years since 1991, the North American Syriac Symposium brings together university professors, graduate students, and scholars from the United States and Canada as well as from Europe, the Middle East, and India, in particular from the State of Kerala. The Symposium offers a unique opportunity for exchange and discussion on a wide variety of topics related to the language, literature, and cultural history of Syriac Christianity, which extends chronologically from the first centuries CE to the present day and geographically from Syriac Christianity's homeland in the Middle East to South India, China, and the worldwide diaspora.

Announcement and invitation to theInternational Conference on Archaeology 2015: Ancient Cultures in the Lands of the Bible(Jerusalem, June 2015)

Call for Abstracts: The scientific committee of the conference invites experts to submit abstracts on the conference topics. The list of topics is presented on the conference web-site: http://israelarcheology.org

More details on the conference are available on the site.For questions contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ClLICK HERE for the textual notes on the Old Testament of the New American Bible, Revised Edition, that were compiled from the work of the original revisers and arranged by Fr. Joseph Jensen, O.S.B.

Please note: To search these notes, two steps are needed: first search for the Old Testament book, then for the particular verse (colon between chapter and verse). Be sure you are at the text you are searching for, because there are many cross-references in these notes. We hope to have soon a more sophisticated program provided by the USCCB.

The CBA congratulates active member, Michael F. Kolarcik, SJ, on his appointment as Director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Pope Francis has appointed Michael as Director for the years 2014-17, effective September 17, 2014.

The Society of Biblical Literature is pleased to announce that its publications program will become SBL Press as of July 1, 2014. To see the official press release to libraries, retailers, distributors, and publishing and higher education partners, click here.